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ends of the
bar. He knew them both from Burns & Wright, and he’d spent a number of
Friday nights with them in Farley’s back room playing darts and shooting pool. Under
other circumstances, he would have judged both men harmless, but who knew if
they could be trusted with«what exactly was she? Nick had to ask himself again
if he thought, by the slimmest chance, that Calliope’s wild stories were true.
She’d certainly done some inexplicable things, but a faerie on a mission from a
goddess to unite three couples in true love? He’d have to get himself pretty
drunk to believe that. There had to be another explanation for her sudden
appearance and her actions, and he was growing more determined by the minute to
find out what it was. `Let’s dance.´ Nick ran a flawless interception that
interrupted Farley’s fishing expedition and cut off both Frank and Bud’s
advances. Callie gave him a startled look. `Now?´ `Sure. This is a great song.´
He took her hand, and the warmth of her skin surprised him. He tugged her off
the barstool and guided her to the now crowded dance floor where half a dozen
couples swayed to a sad country ballad. The girl by the jukebox shrugged and
wandered off, and Callie’s gaze followed her as Nick twirled her slim body into
his arms. `Do you know her?śhe asked. `Who?´ `That girl in the white
sweater. She’s just leaving.´ `Nope.´ Nick didn’t even look twice. His mind had
gone a little blurry when her hips bumped against his. Maybe dancing was a bad
idea. Maybe he’d give her the wrong impression, but some tribal part of his
soul had felt the need to rescue her from Frank and Bud and Farley. What
bothered him more than the prospect of having to figure out how to get rid of
her was the strange feeling of obligation he felt. Each time she showed up,
thoughts of what might happen to her if some other man decided a faerie stalker
was a good thing to have around plagued him. He told himself he was only keeping
an eye on a potentially unbalanced individual, doing a good deed by seeing that
no one took advantage of her. He reasoned he was down a quart or two on good
deeds lately, anyway, so he owed some for the sake of karma. Why karma suddenly
mattered to him, though, was another mystery. Callie tried to keep the pretty
redhead in view as Nick guided her around the dance floor. The woman wore an
all-too-familiar expression that drew Callie’s Fae instincts like a beacon. Her
dark eyes looked haunted by broken dreams and unfulfilled wishes. Callie longed
to help her, but Nick seemed determined to isolate her from the bar’s most
promising contacts. She kept pace with Nick’s long strides and tightened her
grip on his broad shoulder when the tempo of the music increased. She had to
admit, he moved well. He paid attention to the rhythm of the song rather than
just swaying to and fro like most of the other men around. Callie caught strong
vibes from many of them. Dancing was nothing more than an excuse to get their
arms around a woman and show her some moves that might entice her into bed. She
stiffened at the thought that in this place, Nick Garrett was in good company. She
tried to put a little distance between the two of them, but once the redhead
left the bar, there didn’t seem much point, so she let herself relax in Nick’s
arms. When the rhythm changed again to another slow, sad love song, he made a
smooth transition from fast stepping to a surprisingly graceful glide. Callie gasped
when he drew her in close and pulled her tight against his lean body. She felt
the strength of his arms and the confidence with which he led their movements,
and it made her wonder just how she would manage to complete her task. Changing
Nick Garrett’s view of love enough to convince him to cooperate would be like
moving a granite boulder uphill. When he bent his head close to hers, she found
her eyes level with his open collar. She took in the masculine scent she
remembered from his borrowed work shirt a